Hosiery.



A. SMITH.

HOSIEHY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8. 1911.

Patented Feb. 26, 19118.

SMITH 0F LOS A1 IGELES CALIFORNIA.

HOSIERY.

mamas.

To all whom it may concern: 0

Be it known that T, AnIssA SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hosiery, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to hosiery and a general object of the invention is the provision of a simple and effective means for preventing the raveling or running of breaks in hosiery of 'any and all kinds. It is well known that, particularly in silk stockings, the strain put upon the upper part of the stocking often causes the breaking of one or more threads 5 and the loosening of one thread immediately causes a raveling down the length of the stocking, sometimes throughout the whole length. One such break in a stocking renders the stocking practically useless. 1

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple, inexpensive, and sightly means which may be easily applied to silk stock'- ings and the like, to prevent such breaks and ravelings; to provide such a means in suitable form so that no change whatever is necessary in the manufacture of the stock ing itself, so that no change is made in the exterior appearance of the stocking, and no change is made in the feel of the stocking to the wearer. It is further an object to provide ameans which may be either originally and initially manufactured to the stocking, or may be attached to any ordinary stocking in a'simple manner, or may be worn without attachment to the stocking. Other objects and accomplishments of my invention will appear from the following detailed description, wherein I set forth a preferred form of stocking embodying my invention.

For the purposes of this specification I illustrate a preferred form of my stocking in the accompanying drawings. In said drawings Figure 1 is a view showing the exterior appearance of my stocking; Fig. 2 is a view showing the stocking with its upper portion turned down, showing the inner part which performs the functions herein described; Fig. 3 is a view showing the innor part or tube of my stocking in such a form as that in which it may be supplied Specification of Letters EPatent.

for attachment to ordinary stockings; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of device.

In the drawings I illustrate a stocking having a body portion 10, a foot 11, and the upper turned part or welt 12, all as in any ordinary stocking. As herein stated, it is a feature of my invention that the ordinary stocking need not be changed in anyv particular in order to apply my invention thereto. I provide an inner reinforcing ,tube 13, preferably of the same material as the stocking and preferably of slightly smaller circumferential size than the body 10 of the stocking. This inner reinforcing tube 13 is attached to the body 10 of the stocking, only at its lower end, as indicated at 15; the tube 13 extending upwardlv from its point of attachment to the body of the stocking, and

v Patented Feb. 26, 191%.

Application filed March 8, 1917. Serial No. 153,316.

lying loose and unattached in its upper part.

This tube is preferably of such a length as not to reach as high as the top of the stocking; and the point of attachment at 15 is in some intermediate portion of the body 10, preferably somewhat below the knee portion of the stocking. T have found that most of the breaks occurring in silk stockings start at a point near or above the knee, where the greatest strain is imposed on the stocking;

and (without necessarily limiting myself thereto) I therefore make the point of attachment 15 somewhat below the knee portion of the stockin As I have said, ll preferably make the tube 13 of the selfsame material, woven in the same manner, as the stocking body. This tube may have a welt upon its upper end; or it may be finished with a plain edge. In any case, the tube is, so far as the wearer is concerned, merely a continuation of the lower part of the stocking body; but with this distinctionthat the threads of the tube 13 are not continuations of the threads of the body. That is, the attachment at 15 may be made in any desired manner, so long as the threads of the woven tube 13 are not continuations of the threads of the woven body. Thus, the attachment at 15 may be made by weaving the threads of the tube 13 into the threads of the body, and then dropping the threads of the tube 13, the threads of the body extending continuously throughout the body in the usual manner; so that, when the stocking is finished, the exterior appearance of the stocking is exactly like the ordinary stocking, there being no unsightllness due to any break of continuity. When the tube 13 is put into the stocking at the time of manufacture, the foregoing described method will probably be found best; but this is not necessarily the only method. For instance, the tube 13 may be supplied as shown in Fig. 3, and may be attached into the stocking body in any desired manner, as being stitched into it as indicated at 15 in Flg. 4:; or may be worn without attachment to the stocking, as will hereinafter appear.

The stocking is donned in the ordinary manner, excepting that the tube 13 is first pulled up into position (it will be noted, for all mechanical purposes, the tube 13 is mecha'nically the upper part of the stocking itself). The supporters are attached tothe upper end of the tube 13 in the ordinary manner to draw and hold the stocking tightly inplace; then the upper part of the stocking body is drawn up over the tube and may be then secured by a single supporter fastening; but the upper part of the stocking body is then not necessarily drawn tightly; as the stocking is supported by the tube 13 and does not depend for its support upon the upper part of thestocking body 10. All of the strain of support of the stocking is borne by the tube 13. The tube 13 is preferably slightly smaller than the body of the stocking, so that the tube 13 is not only strained more tightly longitudinally than the body. of the stocking, but is also strained more tightly circumferentially than the stocking body. However, in actual practice, I find that it is not necessary to have. the tube smaller than the stocking body; the strain of support is sufficient to draw the tube tightly upon the leg. Any breaks and ravelings which may take place in the tube 13 cannot, under any circumstances, run any farther than the lower end of the tube; and cannot be transmitted into the body of the stocking. Thus, even if the tube.13 is broken and raveled in a great many places, it still cause its ofiice is merely that of protecting the stocking, by relieving it from strain by mechanically supporting the lOWer part of the stocking, and its function is not that of being sightly in appearance. The exterior stocking body, which covers the tube 13, always remains unbroken.

Now, it is not always necessary that the tube 13 be fastened to the stocking'body. The general function of the tube.that of relieving the stocking from strainis performed whether the tube is attached or is separate, as will be now described. The lower end 13 of the tube may be somewhat performs its office; be-

contracted; and it may further be provided with a strap or band 16 having connecting members, such as'snaps 17, to increase the contracted effect. This contraction is designed to come just belowthe wearers knee, and, whether the band 16 is used or not, 1s designed to prevent the ,tube from pulling up any farther on the leg. Thus the position of the tube is limited. If the tube is attached atits lower end, as hereinbefore explained, then only a certain strain can be put on the lower part of the stocking. If the tube is not so attached then it may be worn on the leg under the stocking in the same relative position as herein described; and, the supporters being then attached to the tube and the stocking together, the strain on the stocking is thus limited and the stocking protected from rupture.

Although I have described preferred forms of stocking with some degree of detail, it will be understood that I do not necessarily limit myself to the particulars set forth. My invention is embodied in the general structure herein described; the preferred details, although desirable,'.are not essential; and my invention is accordingly not limited except as stated in the following claims.

Having described a invention, I claim:

1. In combination, a stocking body of continuously knitted material, and an interior tube attached at its lower end to the body at a point below the knee portion of the body, being of the same character of knitted material as the stocking body and the threads of the body and tube being noncontinuous of each other, and the tube being otherwise substantially .free from the body.

2. In combination, a stocking body, and an interior tube within the body attached at its lower edge to the stocking body at a point below the knee portion of the body, being otherwise free from vthe body, the lower end of the tube being contracted.

3. In combination, a stocking body of continuously knitted material, and an interior tube within the body attached at its lower end to the body at a point below the knee portion of the body, being of the same preferred form of my character of knitted material as the stocking body and the threads of the body and tube being non-continuous of each other, the lower end of the tube being contracted to' prevent it being drawn above the knee.

4. A stocking protector, embodying a tube of knitted elastic material contracted at its lower end, and a non-elastic contracting band around the lower end of the tube.

5. In combination, a stocking body of continuously knitted material, and an interior tube attached at its lower end to the body at a point below the knee 'portion of the body, the tube being also of knitted mamamas terial, of smaller'circumferential size than the body, and its threads being dropped at the point of attachment to the body, the lower end of the tube being contracted to prevent it being drawn above the knee, and a contracting band encircling the lower end of the tube.

6. A stocking protector, embodying a tube of elastic material adapted to be drawn upon the leg, and non-elastic contraction means at the lower end of the tube to prevent the lower end from drawing above'the knee.

7 In combination, a stocking body of continuously knitted material, and a strain receiving and stocking protector tube of fabric extending down along the stocking and attached at its lower end to the body of the stocking at a point below the knee portion of the body, the threads of the tube and of the stocking body being non-continuthe body, being of the same character of knitted material as the stocking body, the

attachment of the tube to the body being made by knitting the stitches of the body and the stitches of the tube together with the thread of the body and the thread of the tube being discontinued.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 2nd day of March, 1917.

ARISSA SMITH. Witnesses:

JAMES T. BARKELEW, ELwoon H. JBARKELEW. 

